Much of Frontline's 'League of Denial' documentary rests on the case of Mike Webster

The two-hour documentary to which ESPN did not want its brand attached, Frontline’s “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis,” is set to air at 8 p.m. Tuesday on PBS.

The documentary is based largely on the reporting of ESPN’s Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, who interviewed more than 200 scientists, doctors and former players for a forthcoming book the brothers authored, “League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth.”

Included in their investigation, according to a Frontline release, are “previously unpublished medical records, NFL memorandums and e-mails.”

“We all know football is violent and dangerous; that’s not a mystery,” Steve Fainaru said in a Frontline publicity release about the documentary. “But if it’s shown, or if it’s suggested, that players can come away severely or prematurely brain damaged as a result of their careers, that’s going to change the way people look at football completely.”

The case of Steelers center Mike Webster (left) occupies much of the first hour of the documentary, according to Frontline.

Webster was born in Tomahawk, Wis., attended Rhinelander High School and went on to star for the University of Wisconsin. He played in 245 NFL games and was named to nine Pro Bowl teams. Webster played on four of the Steelers’ Super Bowl champion teams. He died in 2002 at the age of 50.

Webster was diagnosed with a neurological disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The National Football League disputed that diagnosis, according to the documentary.

“The league demanded a retraction of the scientific paper explaining the diagnosis, insisted there was no evidence linking football to chronic brain disease and used its own heavily funded research arm to try and kill the findings and discredit the researchers behind them,” according to the Frontline release.

The second hour of the documentary chronicles how the NFL dealt with the growing body of scientific evidence “that football was putting the brains of its players at risk.”

The NFL recently reached at $765 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by 4,200 former players who claimed brain injury due to playing football.

ESPN originally had collaborated with Frontline in the making of the documentary, but after 15 months decided to unlink is brand from the project, asking producers to remove ESPN’s logo and credit from the episode.

ESPN said it withdrew its participation from the project because it did not have a role in producing it or have any editorial control over it, hence it would be inappropriate to be associated with it.

Critics suggested ESPN’s president, John Skipper, bowed to pressure brought by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and pulled the network’s formal connection to the project to appease the league, a business partner of ESPN’s. The network pays the NFL $2 billion a year to air games on “Monday Night Football.”

However, ESPN has been promoting the book by their two reporters, including publishing an excerpt of it at ESPN.com. The brothers have been interviewed at length about the book and documentary for “SportsCenter” and “Outside the Lines” segments and have talked to ESPN’s Colin Cowherd about their work.

In an ESPN.com chat, the brothers said, referring to their employer’s unlinking from the collaboration on the documentary: “We’ve said repeatedly that is was a disappointing episode, especially since the partnership worked so well. At the same time the documentary is airing . . . and the reality is that both it and our book could not have been made without the participation and support of ESPN.”

On Thursday, Goodell issued a letter to NFL fans touting the league’s efforts to improved player safety. It would be foolish to contend it’s merely a coincidence he’s chosen to issue his letter a few days before the airing of “League of Denial.”

“We have an unwavering commitment to player health and making our game safer at all levels,” Goodell writes. “This is, and will remain, our top priority. We hope that our commitment to safety will set an example for all sports.”

(Photo credit: AP. Mike Webster poses with his Pro Football Hall of Fame bust in Canton, Ohio, when he was inducted into the shrine on July 26, 1997)

About Bob Wolfley

Bob Wolfley retired in October 2014 He wrote the SportsDay blog and column and about TV and radio issues.